thenourishingcook.com/oxtail-barley-soup/ Oxtail Barley Soup
Rating: 3 forks (key)
Difficulty:
Easy to medium
Page in NT: 209
Ingredients:
4 pounds fresh oxtail
filtered water
1/2 cup dry white wine [TNC: I used red since I had some in the freezer leftover]
1/4 cup vinegar
2 onions, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, peeled and chopped
fresh thyme sprigs tied together [TNC: rosemary would also be good]
1-2 teaspoons dried green peppercorns, crushed [TNC: I left out, used regular pepper instead]
pinch red pepper flakes [TNC: I left out, did not have on hand]
1 cup barley, roasted in the oven and soaked in 2 TÂ whey for at least 7 hours [TNC: I skipped roasting but did soaking]
sea salt or fish sauce to taste
chopped cilantro or parsley
Place oxtail in a stainless steel baking pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 1 hour or until well browned. Transfer oxtail to a stainless steel pot [TNC: I use my Le Creuset dutch oven] and pour out the grease. Add wine and a little filtered water to the baking pan and deglaze by bringing to a rapid boil, while stirring to loosen any coagulated beef juices in the pan. Pour this liquid into the pot and cover all the oxtail with cold water. Add vinegar, bring to a boil and skim. Add thyme, onions, carrots, celery, red pepper flakes and peppercorns. Simmer, covered for at least 24 hours [TNC: you can simmer from morning until dinner, it will be good but not quite as rich tasting].
Remove oxtail and allow to cool. Strain 3 quarts of stock into another pot and add soaked barley. (Reserve any remaining broth for other uses.) Bring to a boil and simmer for about 1 hour or until barley is tender. Meanwhile, pick the meat off the bones and chop finely. When barley is tender, add chopped meat. Season generously. Ladle into individual bowls and garnish with chopped parsley or cilantro.

Any soup is winter food but Oxtail is THE best, just ask John M. Smith!